Sunday School Lesson
May 1
Lesson 9 (KJV)
FREEDOM FROM SIN
DEVOTIONAL READING: Romans 6:1–14
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: Romans 6:1–14
ROMANS 6:1–14
1. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2. God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3. Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7. For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
KEY TEXT
If we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.—Romans 6:5
LESSON AIMS
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. State the result of dying with Christ.
2. Compare and contrast the old self with the new self.
3. Make a plan to be a more effective instrument of righteousness.
HOW TO SAY IT
Chrestus
Crest-us.
Claudius
Claw-dee-us.
Colossians
Kuh-losh-unz.
Corinthians
Ko-rin-thee-unz (th as in thin).
Ephesians
Ee-fee-zhunz.
Gentile
Jen-tile.
Suetonius
Soo-toe-nee-us.
Thessalonians
Thess-uh-lo-nee-unz
(th as in thin).
Introduction
A. Set Free
President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. By this time, the Civil War had raged for nearly two years. According to the president’s decree, “All persons held as slaves … are, and henceforward shall be free.” Of course, words without appropriate action—even the words of a president—cannot create change. The proclamation did not immediately end slavery throughout the nation. This speech, however, did fan the flame of liberation, especially in the North. The Civil War ended in 1865 with a Union victory. The battle for freedom was long and bloody, but ultimately victorious.
We still experience echoes of slavery. Though freedom for slaves was declared, the long process of becoming equal citizens under the law is, in many ways, an ongoing struggle. The parallel is imperfect, but some similarities exist between the fight to end slavery in the United States and Jesus’ sacrifice to end slavery the world over. The lesson today focuses not on the moment of victory, but, instead, the work that is still to be done in the aftermath.
B. Lesson Context
The letter to the Roman church was probably written during Paul’s long stay in Corinth (Acts 18:11), in about AD 58 in the midst of his third missionary journey. The church in Rome had been planted by other, unknown missionaries—possibly people who had been present to hear Peter at Pentecost (2:10). Beyond encouraging the believers there, Paul’s letter also sought the Roman believers’ support for a planned mission into Spain (Romans 15:23–28).
The nature of the church in Rome was influenced by an edict, issued by Emperor Claudius in about AD 49, that had forced Jews living in the city to leave (Acts 18:2). The Roman historian Suetonius tells us that Claudius “banished from Rome all the Jews, who were continually making disturbances at the instigation of one Chrestus,” the word Chrestus likely referring to Christ. This experience probably fostered a certain division within the Roman church between Gentile and Jewish believers, with each group contending that it had better claim on salvation in Christ than did the other (compare Romans 11:13–24).
The expulsion of Jews from Rome resulted in Gentile Christians being in the majority in the church there, if they had not been the majority already (Romans 1:5–6, 13). Their majority status seems to have continued even after the death of Claudius in AD 54 allowed Jews to return to the imperial city (compare Acts 18:2 with Romans 16:3–5a). Much of Paul’s letter is therefore directed specifically to the Gentile believers there (11:13).
Paul used this letter as an opportunity to carefully explain the gospel (and his own teaching on it) to an audience who did not know him and had never heard him preach in person. As a result, this letter contains the most thorough and organized defense of Paul’s preaching (Romans 2:16; 16:25). He argued that faith in Jesus is the only way to be justified before God. This justification comes by grace, through faith in Jesus, and not by obedience to the Old Testament law (3:21–26). Both Jew and Gentile are alike in sin, and both can be saved only through the redemption of Jesus (3:23–24). To confirm his point that God has always been concerned about faith, Paul used the example of Abraham. Abraham was declared righteous before God on the basis of his faith, not his obedience to the law (4:13).
In Romans 5 Paul again looked closely at the work of Jesus Christ. Adam was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26–27) but gave in to temptation (3:6). Through the sin of Adam, death came into the world (3:19; Romans 5:12). Jesus, however, has done what Adam could not. Jesus, God himself in the flesh, was sinless despite temptation (Hebrews 4:15). And His death and resurrection brought grace and life to the world (Romans 5:17). Now, in Romans 6, Paul turns to examine the practical effect of Jesus’ work in our lives.
I. Dead to Sin
(ROMANS 6:1–5)
A. Rhetorical Question (v. 1)
1. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
The two questions here are rhetorical (also see Romans 6:2, below). Instead of seeking an answer from the audience, Paul primed the reader for his answer to the question Shall we continue in sin (compare 3:8). We can see in the question this flow of logic: (1) Since forgiveness of sin is a sign of God’s grace to us and (2) since grace is a good thing, then (3) why not sin all the more so that we may get more grace from God?
B. Emphatic Answer (vv. 2–5)
2. God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Paul is using a technique known as “reduction to the absurd.” In this method, an argument is boiled down to a level at which supporting it seems crazy. Anyone who would argue that continuation of sin is a good thing because it results in more opportunities for God to forgive us has missed the point entirely! Do we think we are doing God a favor by increasing His grace business?
3. Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Though we may read this as a rhetorical question, Paul’s Roman audience had never heard him preach and so may not have been familiar with the concept of being baptized into [Jesus’] death. Baptism was commonly understood as a ritual washing away of sins, which John linked explicitly to genuine repentance (see Matthew 3:1–2, 6, 11a; Luke 3:3). This symbolism was not lost in emerging Christian understandings of baptism but deepened that understanding by tying baptism to faith in Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 19:1–5; 22:16; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:21). Paulconnected baptism to a personal identification of the believer with Christ (see Galatians 3:27).
Notice too that Paul appealed to baptism as a shared experience. The believer has not made a commitment to be carried out in a solitary way but, instead, in solidarity with others who have also taken on Christ. The body of Christ is made up of the many who call Him Savior.
4a. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death.
Therefore draws a conclusion from Romans 6:2–3. Baptism is a fitting analogy for death. Churches have practiced baptism in various ways from early centuries, but it is worth noting that the burial analogy works best if we understand baptism as a full immersion of a person under water. As a dead body is buried in the ground, so we are lowered into the water of baptism to symbolize our death to sin. There is a sense of death when one is completely under the water, for normal sensory perceptions are suspended.
By baptism we are brought into Christ so that His death becomes our death. (The underlying Greek preposition also means “through,” as in Romans 2:23.) Baptized persons put sin to death and bury it when they believe, repent, and are baptized (see Colossians 2:12).
4b. That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Jesus died, but He was raised to life by the Father. In the same way, our death in Christ is not the end but the means for having new life. At the point of conversion (symbolized here by baptism), the believer’s old life of sin ends and a new life begins (Romans 8:6–7). God’s glory that has given Jesus new life does the same for us (8:11).
5. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.
Just as a person goes into the water of baptism and is buried with Christ, so a seed is planted into the soil. In both cases, one expects new life to flourish. Our sharing in Christ’s resurrection depends on our unity with His death. Christian baptism is a likeness of, or a demonstration or reenactment of, the central facts of the gospel message as defined by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1–4 (the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus). Baptism provides a wonderful opportunity to be like Jesus!
What Do You Think?
How do you strike a balance between your own efforts to be sinless and God’s necessary work in your rebirth?
Digging Deeper
What other texts inform your thinking?
END-OF-LIFE CARE
Terminal disease brings death to the front of one’s mind. Treatments have failed; experimental drugs haven’t yielded a miracle cure. For this person, hospice care is a great mercy. The focus is on the alleviation of suffering. A team of doctors, nurses, social workers, and chaplains work with both the patient and her family to relieve physical, emotional, and spiritual pain in the face of death. Such care allows important conversations to happen. Far from giving up on life, this is an opportunity to enjoy the last days of one’s life and make the most of the fleeting hours.
Those of us who have accepted Christ are already experiencing end-of-life care. We are released from our sin disease and live without the pain of our guilt or the fear of our death. This frees us to proclaim the good news of Jesus. Let us not choose to live with the pain of a terminal sin; choose instead Jesus’ care. How will you make your newness of life a mercy to others?
—J. A. K.
II. Alive in Christ
(ROMANS 6:6–14)
A. Freedom from Sin (vv. 6–11)
6–7. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.
In the remainder of this chapter and in Romans 7–8, Paul continued to describe the ongoing battle in which Christians are engaged—a battle of which we all are keenly aware. As long as we live in this world, the fleshly part of us (the body) will be calling for attention; that will be the part of us through which Satan will work the hardest to capture our allegiance and erode our faith.
Here the apostle insists that we no longer take orders from sin or from its headquarters. He uses the term our old man to describe the individual under sin’s rule (Ephesians 4:22). But now that we are new creatures in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17), we live under a new master, or by the “new man” (Ephesians 4:24). By joining with Christ, we no longer serve sin. We are not freed from temptation, but we are freed from sin as the controlling factor in our lives. God has also given us His Holy Spirit to equip us for the battle, and the Spirit is stronger than Satan (1 John 4:4). Sin will continue to entice, but now it has met its match.
WHICH ADAM?
My father was a church leader, a positive example in many ways. His great flaw, though, was his temper. I remember vividly an occasion when my brothers and I were fussing in the car’s back seat. Dad stopped the car and unleashed a verbal torrent. I heard my mother question his reaction later. He justified himself by saying, “Children need to see their dad hopping mad sometimes.”
But when I became a father, I committed not to be controlled by anger. Have I always been successful? No. But my now-adult children are not distressed by memories of my unchecked temper.
All of humankind sins against God, following the example of our parents from Adam on. But we should be following “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45). Christ Jesus leads us to a new life where sins like out-of-control anger no longer dominate us and ruin our relationships. Which Adam are you following?
—M. K.
8. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.
In a sense, we’ve already begun to enjoy resurrection life (John 17:3), following our burial with Christ symbolized in baptism. But there is still much more to come. We haven’t yet experienced the full resurrection and still experience the temptations of sin. But we hope—not wish—for full life and restoration in faith (Romans 8:29–30; see lesson 10). The sure fact of what Christ has already done for us by His own death and resurrection provides all the confidence we need in order to trust that our own resurrection will follow.
9. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Although other humans were raised from the dead (examples: 1 Kings 17:17–24; John 11:38–44), their new life was temporary; they died again. Christ, however, was raised from the dead once and for all, to die no more. The Christian faces death knowing that it is a beaten enemy because of Jesus’ resurrection. Thus what is true of Jesus is true of the Christian: death hath no more dominion over him. With the death and resurrection of Christ, sin and death have been overturned and the new era has begun (Colossians 1:18).
What Do You Think?
How do you balance a natural fear of death with your faith that death no longer has dominion over you?
Digging Deeper
How can you face death honestly, confidently, and without fear?
10. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Jesus’ singular sacrifice for our sin is sufficient for all time (Hebrews 9:24–28; 10:10). It never will be repeated. While Jesus’ death was unto sin, this doesn’t mean that Christ ever sinned but, instead, that He submitted to death, which is the consequence of sin. But He now reigns at the right hand of the Father. His life is unto God, as it was before He laid aside His glory to live among us (Ephesians 1:20; Philippians 2:6–8).
11. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Because of what Christ has accomplished, we are free from slavery to sin and given the freedom to choose obedience to God. This is the case even if we don’t actually feel dead indeed unto sin. Because of our new identity in Christ, we can be alive unto God, choosing His purposes over our former sinful preoccupations.
B. Freedom to Serve God (vv. 12–14)
12. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Here in the first half of Romans, Paul personifies three spiritual realities as being tyrants; each has dominion as it reigns over us. All this is described with language derived from a king’s reigning over his subjects or from a master’s ruling over his slaves.
The first of these three is death, introduced as a reigning tyrant in Romans 5:14. The second is sin, explicitly seen as the reigning tyrant in the verse before us. The third is the law, spoken of extensively in chapters 2 and 3, but introduced fully as having “dominion” in 7:1 (but see Romans 6:14, below). These three oppress us in different ways. We fear death, we suffer because of sin, and we are judged inadequate by the law (see 2:12).
Paul urged his readers not to allow the ominous spiritual tyrant of sin to exercise any sort of authority in their lives. Although we are dead to sin, we will continue to struggle against it. Paul was not talking about abstract sins of the intellect, but about real-world acts that involve our bodies. Such sins come from yielding to the lusts thereof. The underlying Greek reflects language Paul used elsewhere when talking about sexual sins (Romans 1:24; 1 Thessalonians 4:5). Living under Christ’s rule, however, we have been given a path to flee from sin and escape its clutches. Resisting sin is not passive. It requires effort (2 Timothy 2:22). We have been set free from sin, but we must also choose to abandon sinful thoughts and behaviors.
What Do You Think?
How do you typically resist the evil desires and lusts that still tempt you?
Digging Deeper
What spiritual resources can you employ to fortify yourself against sin?
13. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
This command builds on the previous verse, emphasizing that no part of our bodies should remain members … of unrighteousness. Our body is no longer Satan’s possession. The word members refers to the parts of the human body, such as hands or ears. This use is reflected in English in the word dismember, referring to cutting off an arm or leg. We are to use our eyes, our hands, our feet, our minds, and our mouths in ways that show we are people who are alive from the dead. That does not simply mean avoiding wicked uses of those features; it also means putting them to work to serve, to bless, and to draw others to the righteous God. All parts of our bodies are to be used as instruments for God’s right purposes (Romans 12:1).
Christians live in the era between the moment that God dealt sin a deathblow through Jesus’ death and resurrection and the day of the final victory that will occur at Jesus’ return. During this interval, we are to live under God’s authority, reflecting the righteousness that He requires of His people (Ephesians 4:24). We cannot live lives of divided loyalties, serving two masters. We must yield fully every aspect of ourselves to the service of God. We are not partly alive and partly dead. We are completely alive from the dead (2:5). In the new life, we serve only God in acts of righteousness.
What Do You Think?
What individual parts of your body do you tend to view as irrelevant to practicing righteousness?
Digging Deeper
How could focusing on these deepen your practice of faith?
14. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Paul returns to his language of sin as a tyrant, insisting again that it cannot be our master. The reason for this is found in the controlling rule by which we live. If we allow sin to dominate us, then we position ourselves to be subject to the law. Paul certainly had the Jewish law in mind here, but the application is broader if under the law is understood to mean “under the old realm.” Paul has already argued that if we are under the law, then we are judged guilty (see Romans 3:19–20). Anyone who attempts to be righteous by rule keeping will fail (3:23). Law does not save; it points out sin. Obeying the law to the best of one’s ability is an exercise of wisdom and will, but that does not provide the answer for mastering sin. If we allow sin to reign over us, we are putting ourselves right back into slavery, despite the freedom given to us by Christ.
Instead, we are to be ruled by grace. It is not about which law or set of rules we try to keep, but about which master we serve. Apart from grace, we cannot overcome sinful desire. By grace, death has been destroyed, sin’s hold has been broken, and the law has been fulfilled through the perfect obedience of Jesus. Even when we avoid sinful behavior, we are mastered by sin if we are doing this in an attempt to earn favor with God (the way of law). If our motivation is to serve God, then righteous behavior will follow naturally.
Conclusion
A. Who Will You Serve?
With Jesus’ resurrection we see that both the new era of resurrection life and the old era of sin and brokenness exist side by side until Christ’s return. This time of both fulfillment of promises and expectation of future perfection can be called the “Already/Not Yet.” This phrase captures the tension that exists in this age. Through faith in Jesus, believers have the beginnings of resurrection life in the Holy Spirit right now (Ephesians 1:13–14). This is our spiritual resurrection and new life in Christ (2:1, 6; Colossians 3:1). The fullness of this new life will come with the final resurrection from physical death. For the believer, new life is both present and future.
Our baptism has united us with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. With His death, we are set free from slavery to sin. With His resurrection, we are given new life. However, we must make the choice of how we will live in this new freedom. We may continue to live in disobedience, becoming slaves to sin all over again. Or we may choose to live in righteousness, enjoying the new life Christ has purchased for us. Out of our knowledge of, and gratitude for, the grace of God, let us eagerly serve righteousness. It’s the best life now—and forever.
B. Prayer
Father, thank You for Your grace made clear to us through Your Son. May we be encouraged and strengthened to live for You each day. We ask these things in the name of Jesus, by whose blood we have been set free and made new. Amen.
What Do You Think?
What areas of your life have you been withholding from Jesus’ service?
Digging Deeper
What change will you make in the coming week to serve Jesus in every aspect of your life?
C. Thought to Remember
Let us live free from sin in the grace of Jesus.
May 8
Lesson 10 (KJV)
FREEDOM FOR THE FUTURE
DEVOTIONAL READING: Romans 8:18–30
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: Romans 8:18–30
ROMANS 8:18–30
18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
24. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25. But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
KID’S CORNER
Matthew 28:16-20 & Acts 1:6-8
(Matthew 28:16) But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.
Matthew wrote a shortened version of Jesus’ resurrection appearances and added some facts some of the other gospel writers omitted (this is to be expected of any biographer or Bible commentator). From the gospels we learn that the disciples did not immediately believe the women and do what Jesus commanded them to do through the women’s testimony; however, the eleven did eventually go to Galilee as Jesus had commanded them (perhaps to the Mount of Transfiguration—see Matthew 17, or to the place where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount—see Matthew 5-7). They would never have gone back to Galilee to see Jesus if Jesus had not convinced them in Jerusalem that He was raised from the dead. Based on all the evidence they had, Jesus called them foolish and slow to believe (see Luke 24:25). The eleven went, perhaps along with others (the Bible does not tell us how many went); however, Jesus did appear to more than 500 at one time and this may be that time and place (see 1 Corinthians 15:6).
(Matthew 28:17) When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.
Just as the women worshiped Jesus on Resurrection Sunday, the disciples also worshiped Jesus when He appeared to them on the mountain. Rather than doubting His resurrection (which they had become convinced of by Jesus himself in Jerusalem), I believe that some (perhaps none of the eleven, but others is the crowd) doubted whether they should worship Jesus as God. Jesus’ response when He gave them the Great Commission (see below) answers the doubt about whether they should worship Him as God. As the Son of God, God the Father gave Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth. It may also be that some doubted it was Jesus and they did not recognize Jesus until He spoke to them. Many of them may not have had perfect 20/20 vision, so they saw Him indistinctly. After Jesus came closer to them and spoke to them, they recognized him, and He took away their doubts. In a similar way, Mary did not recognize Jesus (thinking He was the gardener) until He spoke to her (see John 20:15-18). In the next verse, Matthew recorded Jesus’ spoken words called “The Great Commission.”
(Matthew 28:18) And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Man, and the Messiah, did not grasp after power and authority. He did not grasp after equality with God (see Philippians 2:6). As the Son of God, before Jesus was born and became a man, He possessed all authority in heaven and on earth. As God, all things were created by him and through him (see John 1:1-3). Now, as fully God and fully human, having humbled himself and completed His work of redemption by His sacrificial death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, His heavenly Father gave him authority as King over all creation. Jesus is far greater than the ideas the Jews had of a Messiah who would be a King of Israel in King David’s image. Jesus is King over all the earth, over all people and nations. Jesus is King over all in heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God the Father in heaven (see Matthew 26:64 & Mark 16:19).
(Matthew 28:19) “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Jesus commanded all His disciples/learners to make other disciples—not just among the Jews but among all people of all nations, because He is King over all the nations on earth. The first eleven disciples are also called apostles. Jesus’ command did not apply only to the apostles. Jesus commands all His disciples to make other disciples. Jesus’ command was not only to the eleven apostles or only to a professional religious class, but to all disciples until Jesus comes again—that includes all who trust in Jesus today. Jesus intends that His disciples will so influence, teach, and live according to His loving and truthful example that at some point so many people in a nation are so transformed by faith in Jesus Christ that that nation might be looked upon as substantially a Christian nation—not because Christian rulers, teachings, and commands have been imposed or forced upon the people, but because the vast majority of the people have been transformed by the Truth and the Holy Spirit. Those who chose to follow Jesus as King, Lord, and Savior were to demonstrate their faith by being baptized and by their obedience to Jesus’ commands. Baptism shows forth that a new way of life has begun for the true believer in Jesus. Notice: Jesus used “Name” in the singular when speaking of baptizing in the name of “the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” He declared clearly that worshiping him as God was right and permissible, for the Three Persons are One God.(For a deeper analysis, see my article “ Matthew 28:16-20 Reconsidered,” which appeared in The Expository Times, March 1979, currently available in “Resources” on the International Bible Lessons Commentary website.)
(Matthew 28:20) teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, Jesus’ Kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven” was to come into visible existence as those the disciples helped and prayed for became disciples too. No one was to be made “a Christian” or disciple of Jesus by force or by threats (which is truly impossible), but by teaching the truth about Jesus and praying for the Holy Spirit to make the truth of Jesus come alive in a person’s heart leading them to bow before Jesus as their King, Lord, and Savior. Because Jesus is King over all with authority over all, everyone is to be taught to obey Jesus, every command of Jesus is to be obeyed, because in that way Jesus is honored as King over all and people are protected from doing evil to themselves and others. In their endeavor to teach all people to obey Jesus, Jesus encourages His disciples (all who trust in Jesus as King) by telling them He will be with them always. The New Testament teaches that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit indwell all Christians.
(Acts 1:6) So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
This verse seems to continue the conversation between Jesus and the disciples on the mountain. With Jesus being given all authority, they reasonably asked Jesus when He would use His authority to overthrow the Roman occupation of Judea and restore the kingdom of Israel by becoming its rightful King or putting one of them in charge as King of the Jews. To them, Jesus was still a national king rather than King of the universe.
(Acts 1:7) He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
Jesus replied that there are certain facts or truths that they did not need to know, at least not at that time. Their vision of what Jesus should do as King was distinctly opposite from what Jesus wanted them to do—make disciples of Jesus Christ in all the nations of the world. Jesus Christ was and is King over all, including King over all nations, not just over one nation that would rule over all other nations, but it would take the disciples many years to learn the extent of Jesus’ purpose for them.
(Acts 1:8) but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
The disciples would receive divine power from the Holy Spirit when He came upon them. In the Spirit’s power, they would tell others the truth about Jesus beginning in Jerusalem—among the type of people they were most familiar with, and where many witnesses could also confirm what they said. Then, they would go to the Jews and Gentiles in Judea and Samaria (where they had been taught by Jesus about evangelizing Samaritans when He spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well). Like those in Jerusalem, these people would also be familiar with the Old Testament, the Law of God, and Moses’ teachings; therefore, they could more easily teach them how Jesus fulfilled their expectations. After they grew in faith and experience as witnesses for Jesus, they would be prepared by the Holy Spirit to go to all the nations, tribes, and people throughout the earth.
Why Believers Worship Jesus
May 1, 2022
Matthew 28:16-20 & Acts 1:6-8
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’” (Matthew 28:18).
The Judeans eagerly expected the Messiah to come and fulfill the prophet Daniel’s vision in Daniel 7:14 — “And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” During His earthly ministry, Jesus showed He was the One in Daniel’s vision by His dominion over demons, diseases, and death. He fed thousands and stilled storms. Before His resurrection from the dead, Jesus descended into the underworld and made a “proclamation to the spirits in prison” (1 Peter 3:19). After Jesus rose from the tomb, He appeared to many of His followers and proved that He had conquered death and the devil. When His followers went to Galilee as He commanded, He declared that His Father had given Him all authority in heaven and on earth, which fulfilled Daniel’s vision. When Jesus died on the cross, He saved from their sins and the power of sin all who would believe in Him. So, His followers worship Him as their Savior. After Jesus rose from the dead, God revealed that Jesus is the King of the universe. So, His followers worship Him as their Lord. Forty days after Jesus’ resurrection, He ascended into heaven where He sits on the throne of God and sends the Holy Spirit into all who believe in Him. Therefore, Jesus’ followers worship Him as their God and wait for Him as “our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
Thinking Further
Why Believers Worship Jesus
May 1, 2022
Matthew 28:16-20 & Acts 1:6-8
Name ______________________________________
1. Do you think the eleven disciples would have gone to see Jesus in Galilee if they had not first been convinced in Jerusalem that He was raised from the dead? Give a reason for your answer.
2. What do you think some of the people doubted?
3. What did Jesus say about himself? What does that mean to you?
4. What are some commands Jesus gave the disciples? Should we obey them too?
5. What were the disciples to receive and how would this gift help them? Will this gift also help Christians today?
Discussion and Thinking Further
1. Do you think the eleven disciples would have gone to see Jesus in Galilee if they had not first been convinced in Jerusalem that He was raised from the dead?
Give a reason for your answer. No. They did not believe the testimony of the women and would not believe Jesus was raised from the dead until they saw Jesus personally.
2. What do you think some of the people doubted?
Whether it was Jesus or some other being (spirit or angel?) that they saw. Perhaps they could not see well and could not believe it was Jesus until He spoke to them. Or, they doubted whether they should worship Jesus or not, for they were only to worship God.
3. What did Jesus say about himself? What does that mean to you?
Jesus said all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to him. He also said, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I can worship Jesus as Lord and Savior and King of the universe and trust that every moment of every day Jesus is with me no matter what happens.
4. What are some commands Jesus gave the disciples? Should we obey them too?
Go to all nations. Make disciples in all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all that He had commanded them to do. Yes, in all the ways possible to us as we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and use the gifts God as given to us to serve Jesus our King.
5. What were the disciples to receive and how would this gift help them? Will this gift also help Christians today?
The gift is the Holy Spirit who would give them power as witnesses for Jesus wherever they went. Yes.
Word Search
Thinking Further
Why Believers Worship Jesus
May 1, 2022
Matthew 28:16-20 & Acts 1:6-8
Name ______________________________________
H T R A E O B V W B H R B P I
C L X D N S N A F Y O Y N Z Y
E E S Q C O E W P S L R K T Q
W E L U S W M L O T Y J I G K
O M L E S Q T F P D I R U V U
R X K I V E X S R I O Z H Z X
S O S Q L E J P N H C F I G P
H R M A I A N O T S J S O N Q
I E B O X M G U N T E R I A G
P H H S U B A O E I S H N D Z
E T E R L N I B X R U P R V C
D A A H I T T N V I S A Z F I
C F V B A G E A F P C H J K G
Y D E N S B Y W I S Y I Z O N
Z C N M I M R J C N T N Y L M
Eleven
Disciples
Galilee
Mountain
Jesus
Worshiped
Authority
Heaven
Earth
Nations
Baptizing
Father
Son
Holy
Spirit
True and False Test
Thinking Further
Why Believers Worship Jesus
May 1, 2022
Matthew 28:16-20 & Acts 1:6-8
Name ______________________________________
Circle the true or false answers. Correct the false statements by restating them.
1. The twelve disciples went to Galilee and saw Jesus alive. True or False
2. The disciples worshiped Jesus on the mountain in Galilee. True or False
3. After some doubted, Jesus came and spoke to them. True or False
4. After Jesus rose from the dead, He grasped all authority in heaven and on earth. True or False
5. Jesus commands His disciples to make more disciples. True or False
6. Some of Jesus’ disciples disobeyed and chose not to be baptized.
True or False
7. The disciples baptized in the names of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. True or False
8. The Holy Spirit will give power to Jesus’ witnesses. True or False
9. The disciples wanted Jesus to restore the kingdom of Israel.
True or False
10. Jesus always told His disciples everything they wanted to know
whenever they asked Him a question. True or False
True and False Test Answers
- False
- True
- True
- False
- True
- False
- False
- True
- True
- False
Prayer
Father, thank You for Your grace made clear to us through Your Son. May we be encouraged and strengthened to live for You each day. We ask these things in the name of Jesus, by whose blood we have been set free and made new. Amen.
